


True Care

by dunbar



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 21:35:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11998410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dunbar/pseuds/dunbar
Summary: Theo and Liam talk in the car on the way back from the zoo after 6x16, or "why they were the only two not at Scott's house".





	True Care

**Author's Note:**

> a tiny canon compliant stress relief fic, because i love soft thiam so much

When Liam had chosen the old zoo as a decoy location, he hadn't really expected it to upset him as deeply as it did.

Or maybe he had. It crossed his mind at least once, but he wanted to believe now that Brett had died because he couldn't save him, that maybe it wouldn't hurt anymore.

He wanted to let go of everything that happened at Devenford, but that was easier said than done, because Liam's entire life was a series of traumatic events, and he didn't know where his trauma ended and where he began. Or maybe his trauma didn't end and it was all he was, which is why he couldn't let it go.

"You okay?" Theo looked over concernedly from the driver's seat, his voice snapping Liam out of his thoughts.

"Fine." Liam sighed.

Theo might have rolled his eyes, but if he had, he purposely turned away from Liam first. Liam knew he was probably the most frustrating person on the planet, but now wasn't the best time to make him feel like he was.

Theo was a whole other thing. He'd already pointed out that, subconscious or not, Liam invited him because he was scared. Afraid of the zoo, or of the hunters, or of his own anger, or maybe all of it. It didn't really matter; all that mattered was that Theo came with him knowing that was the reason he was asked to come at all, and he had carried Liam all the way to his car.

It was weird, the way Theo's methods weren't always the most logical or clean, but they worked best. No one would have been able to talk Liam down from his episode of rage, except for maybe Mason, who wasn't a werewolf and definitely wasn't an option to bring along to a dangerous zoo crawling with hunters. But Scott would have tried. And Nolan wouldn't still be alive if that had happened. As unethical as knocking out someone for having a post-traumatic episode sounded in concept, it was the best solution, because an angry human having an episode and an angry werewolf are two very different things. Especially an angry Liam.

And Theo had carried him, for probably an hour, navigating around hunters with an unconscious, 16 year old werewolf on his back. Or in his arms? Liam wasn't sure, but it couldn't have been easy. 

"How do you think the others are doing?" Liam asked, trying to distract himself from any and all thoughts of Theo carrying him.

As if on cue, the built in phone in Theo's car started ringing.

"Let's find out," Theo replied, accepting the call when he saw it was from Scott.

"Everything okay? It's late, what happened?" Scott's voice came through not quite staticky, but not exactly clear either.

"We're fine. Had to take a bit of a detour." Theo smirked at Liam as he said it, who embarrassedly pushed himself down in his seat.

"Good. Everyone's at my place if you guys want to come, but we'll fill you in tomorrow if you don't."

"Nah, we need some rest," Theo replied, before Liam could say yes. "See you, Scott." 

He hung up and Liam immediately turned in his seat, looking kind of annoyed. "Why aren't we going?"

"You're not exactly light, you know?"

"Oh." Liam's face turned a shade of pink even in the little moonlight. 

"I was joking. You need the rest, not me." Theo gave Liam a small smile before turning his attention back to the road.

"I don't need anything. I said I'm fine." It wasn't the truth in the slightest, but when did he ever say he was fine truthfully?

"You can drop the act, Liam. I know PTSD when I see it, and you didn't even just have one episode. You freaked out every time you came to. Why do you think I knocked you out four more times?"

Liam waved him off and turned to watch the trees pass by through the window.

"I'm not asking you to talk to me, or to give me all the details. I just want you to take care of yourself."

They sat in silence for another mile before Liam gave up on faking indifference. "It was Brett."

Theo looked over, urging him to continue without any words.

"Brett, from Satomi's pack. He was really hard on me when I was at Devenford. It sucks, everyone has issues and bad memories with the supernatural, and I can't get over the regular human shit." Liam spoke softly as he stared out the car window still, but it was loud enough over the night's silence.

"You're human too, Liam." Theo paused, looking over gently at the boy in the seat beside him. "You still wanted to save him?"

"Yeah. I miss him." Liam didn't say anything else, still watching outside until they turned into the driveway of his house.

"Be safe, okay?" Theo said as he unlocked the doors.

"Thanks," Liam got out, but stood there hesitantly, holding the door open.

Theo raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Can you..." Liam shifted nervously on his feet, before he blurted out, "Do you want to stay here?"

Theo didn't even give it a second thought when he turned the car key and got out almost immediately.

"Thanks for not leaving me." Liam said as he walked over.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't mean just now. Thanks for not leaving me when I was too stubborn to not pick a fight with Nolan, or when you knocked me out." Liam felt smaller and more shy than usual, and thinking about the fact that Theo carried him wasn't helping.

"I considered it. But I don't think I could have even if I wanted to," Theo smiled as he watched Liam fidget with his hands nervously. 

"Come on," he encouraged gently as he took one of Liam's hands in his own. The beta stared up at him in complete surprise. "I said you need rest, not to tire yourself out with more emotions."

Liam grinned, and all the tension seemed to ease out of him as he closed his hand tightly around Theo's.


End file.
